Spiritus Lenis
by DRL
Summary: Duo takes in a stray puppy, but all is not what it seems


Spiritus Lenis

By DRL

Duo Maxwell was in love. He knew not whether it was the large, doleful brown eyes that stared adoringly into his, or possibly the stubby tail that oscillated to and fro with flattering vigour. It could even have been the fine, glossy coat that shone with a chestnut brilliance that perfectly matched his own waist-length tresses, but whatever it was it had worked on Duo with a vengeance. He reached the door to his apartment building and turned, looking down into the eyes of the object of his affection.

"I'm afraid this is the end of the line boy." He said as he crouched down and gently scratched between the ears of the Cavalier King Charles spaniel that had followed him home from the subway station. The dog's response was to rear up on its hind legs, place its front paws onto Duo's shoulders and lap enthusiastically at his face. "Oh no, you're not getting round me like that." Duo giggled, turning his head this way and that in an attempt to evade the rough-tongued assault. He rose and looked down at the dog, smiling fondly.

"I'm afraid you can't come any further." He said, "I have to go in now." Reluctantly, he turned away and entered the apartment building. As he crossed the lobby to the lift, he glanced back over his shoulder. The little dog was once again on its hind legs, paws scrabbling ineffectually against the plate glass of the doors. Duo's heart rent in two at the sight of the dog's obvious distress. He ran back to the door and wrenched it open. As he scooped the dog up into his arms, the agonised yelps he heard only as he opened the door, became yips of delight. The dog lapped enthusiastically at Duo's face again and laughing, Duo hugged it to his breast.

"Okay, okay," Duo giggled, "You can come up, but I'll have to take you down again before Heero gets back." He placed the spaniel back onto the pavement and held the door open, allowing the animal to follow him into the building.

They made slow but cheerful progress up to the 10th floor apartment that Duo shared with his lover. Heero Yuy was not a pet person, and Duo knew this well. When they had first moved in together, the last tea-chest was barely unpacked before Duo broached the subject of possibly keeping a pet. Heero promptly vetoed the suggestion, and a minor tiff ensued, which promptly escalated into a major tiff, then to a full-blown argument, with harsh words spoken on both sides. They spent their first night of co-habitation apart - Heero on the bed, Duo on the sofa. Neither slept a wink and in the morning they were frosty and aloof with one another. Duo was the first to break. As they sat silently at the breakfast table, pushing the food that Heero had cooked but that neither of them had the appetite for, around their plates, he suddenly dropped his fork into his plate, buried his face in his hands and bust into tears.

"Don't be angry with me Heero, I can't bear it." He sobbed.

Heero, instantly remorseful, came round the table and took his lover into his arms. He knew what it was. Duo was a child from what was commonly termed a dysfunctional family. His mother and father, a drug addict and a drug dealer respectively, had an abusive and violent relationship that ended tragically when one day, in full view of their 14 year-old son, his father took a pistol and shot his mother dead. Though the distraught and thoroughly traumatised Duo was fostered and eventually adopted by a childless couple, who loved him dearly and treated him well, his experiences had left their stamp on Duo's psyche and any form of disharmony affected him disproportionately. Heero was fully aware of this, having borne witness to its effects more than once, but in his mulish stand on his own point of view, the fact had slipped his mind. Having apologised abjectly, he relented and told Duo that if he wanted a pet, he could have one. Duo thanked him, but conceded that Heero was correct in the point he had he attempted to make the night before, that they should wait and settle down a bit in their new home - see how they got along with each other first before taking on the additional responsibility of a pet.

Duo put the thought of his lover to the back of his mind as he let himself and his canine companion into the apartment. The spaniel ran in through the door in advance of Duo and darted around and about the place, sniffing enthusiastically at the unfamiliar fixtures and furniture while all the time its tail wagged to and fro as if it were powering a mill-wheel. However, when he made so bold as to leap up onto the sofa, Duo promptly shooed him.

"Shit!" He ejaculated as came into the room from the kitchen to find the dog standing on the seat, snuffling amongst the scatter cushions. "No, get down boy." The dog flinched at his censorious tone. Duo scooped the little dog up into his arms and hugged it to his chest. "I'm sorry if I startled you sweetheart," He murmured as he gently scratched between its ears, "But Heero will kill you if you get dog hairs all over his work-pants." He dropped down onto the sofa and the dog settled comfortably into his lap. Duo was obviously not so fastidious where his own work-pants were concerned. "Kill you," He added ruefully, "And then he'll kill me."

Heero telephoned later in the afternoon to say that he would be home late.

"I'm really sorry Duo, but..."

"That's okay," Duo said quickly, "I'll keep dinner warm for you."

"No, don't bother cooking dinner," Heero said, "I'll pick up a take-away on the way home. You just relax and take it easy until I get back."

Duo did nothing of the kind. For once, he was glad to hear that Heero was working late, because it meant that he could put off the evil hour when he would have to explain about their 'houseguest', for a few hours more. However, talk of dinner made him remember that the dog would probably be hungry by now. He had no dog food in the house so, having scoured the pantry, he decided that a tin of corned beef was the best he could do at short notice. The dog didn't seem to mind a bit. He made short work of the corned beef, then he and Duo made sport between them in the apartment to while away some time. Duo tossed a makeshift ball made from a rolled up pair of socks, and the dog darted about the apartment fetching the ball and laying it at Duo's feet. They played this game for a while, before Duo decided that he had better pick the apartment up a little before Heero returned, since he and Fred – he had decided on this as his name for the dog, having ascertained that he was indeed a male – he and Fred had made rather a mess of the place during their game. Attaching a thin piece of rope loosely around Fred's neck in lieu of a collar and lead, he then walked him quickly around the block to allow him to do 'his business' as Duo euphemistically called it, then took him home. Back at the apartment he took the laundry basket, lined it with an old beach towel, and placed it in a corner of the kitchen.

"There you go boy, that's your bed." Duo said, as he carefully re-arranged the towel so as to afford the maximum comfort. Fred understood perfectly. He immediately climbed in, bringing the sock-ball with him, turned around and around in tightly-formed circles, then finally settled down. Duo stroked and petted the pup until he fell asleep, then he curled up on the sofa in front of the television to await Heero's return.

He came in at around nine o'clock and the first Duo knew of it was the soft kiss that woke him. He blinked a few times, then opened his eyes to stare into Heero's.

"Hey!" Duo said with a sleepy smile, "Sorry, I must have dropped off."

"Don't worry." Heero said and he brushed his lips lightly against Duo's once more before straightening and picking two paper bags up from the floor. The bags bore a simple device - a bowl containing what appeared to be rice, into which two chopsticks had been carelessly thrust. "You stay here while I sort this out." He held the bags aloft momentarily by way of explanation. "I'll call you when it's ready."

"You got Chinese, cool!" Duo said with enthusiasm, having correctly interpreted the device on the bags.

He lay back and closed his eyes. He really should go and help Heero in the kitchen, but his afternoon with Fred had tired him out. FRED! Duo sat up abruptly, all fatigue gone. He scrambled to his feet and rushed into the kitchen.

"Heero, I've got something to..."

Heero stood stock still, staring into one corner of the kitchen. He did not stir as Duo entered the room.

"Heero, I can explain..." Duo began.

"Duo, why is there a dog in our kitchen?" Heero's voice was cold and flat.

"Honey, I said..."

"And more importantly," Heero's voice took on more of an edge, "Why is it cuddling my socks?"

Duo came to stand beside his lover and peered into the basket. The dog did indeed appear to be embracing the sock-ball as he slept.

"Aw, isn't that sweet." Duo said, turning to Heero with a lopsided grin. "See, he loves you already." Heero's glare was like ice. "Okay," Duo said in a conciliatory tone, "Let's eat and I'll explain."

They carried the food that Heero had brought home into the living room because Duo did not want to risk waking Fred with their presence, since the kitchen also encompassed the dining area. They laid the food out on the coffee table and settled themselves as comfortably as they could on the floor. As they helped themselves to the food directly from the cartons, Duo gave Heero an account of his afternoon.

"I thought we could call him Fred." Duo said, then took a generous bite from the dumpling he held poised and ready, between two chopsticks. "That's what I've been calling him and he seems to like it." He dipped the remainder of the dumpling into a polystyrene pot containing a clear, brown-tinted sauce, then popped it into his mouth. Heero frowned.

"What do you mean **_you've_** decided? What's his real name?" Duo froze in the act of dipping another dumpling. He looked vague and confused, as if the fact that the little dog might already have a name had not occurred to him.

"His real name?" Duo's hand was still poised above the pot. He now lowered the dumpling slowly into the sauce. "I... I don't know?" He bit into the dumpling and chewed slowly and thoughtfully.

"Didn't he have a name tag on his collar?" Heero asked as he sipped from his water glass. Duo had chosen to wash his meal down with beer but Heero had opted for plain water. Duo shook his head slowly.

"No, he didn't have a collar." He said absently.

"So what are you going to do," Heero asked in his typical, no-nonsense manner, "Take him to the dogs' home tomorrow?" He continued with his meal as he talked, helping himself from the various cartons with brisk, efficient movements. "You could put a card in the window of newsagents', you know, saying something like 'DOG FOUND', and you could give the phone number for the dogs home or... What?"

Heero had raised his eyes from his plate to glance at Duo momentarily, and found the other man's eyes trained on him, wide with something akin to horror.

"Take him to the dogs' home!" Duo said in a scandalised voice.

"Why yes," Heero frowned, "What else would you..." Then realisation dawned and it was Heero's turn to be scandalised. "Duo, surely you didn't expect to keep the dog?"

"But why not," Duo asked plaintively, "You **_said _**we could get a pet once we'd lived together for a bit and settled down and all?"

"And so we will," Heero replied patiently, "But we can't just pick up any old dog off the street." He shook his head slowly and looked at Duo, more in sorrow than in anger.

"He followed me home, what the fuck was I supposed to do?" Duo said defensively, his voice rising almost to shouting pitch. He was angry now and Heero's answering tone was again conciliatory.

"I'm not saying you did the wrong thing," Said he, "But think about it - the dog almost certainly has an owner somewhere, an owner who is probably searching for him as we speak, an owner who is probably worried sick about him. It might even be a small child - he's little more than a puppy, after all." He paused to let his words sink in.

Duo averted his gaze, looking instead at a spot somewhere over Heero's shoulder as if this might somehow lessen the veracity of his lover's words. He knew that Heero was quite right, but he didn't want to think about it. He loved Fred and he didn't want to give him up. He dropped his chopsticks into his plate, rose and went out to the kitchen. He crossed to the corner where Fred still slumbered, a ball of chestnut fur. Duo dropped to one knee and stroked the dog's head gently.

"Don't worry boy," He whispered, "No-one's ever going to take you away from me."

And so it proved, despite Duo's best efforts. Under Heero's close supervision, since Duo was using his lover's precious laptop computer, Duo fashioned a flier, bearing across the top the bold legend 'FOUND'. He added a photograph of Fred, a brief outline of where he was found and details of his current location, along with a contact telephone number. He pasted copies of the flier on the neighbourhood lampposts, stuck copies in the windows of the local stores - he even called in a favour and had a facsimile of the flier printed in the local newspaper. All to no avail however, and after six weeks had elapsed with no response to the fliers whatsoever, Duo duly considered Fred his own.

In spite of what Heero had said, Duo had not taken Fred to the dogs' home. He had begged Heero to allow the dog to remain with them at the apartment while his rightful owner was sought.

"But Duo," Heero had begun by way of protestation, "If he stays here you'll end up getting attached to him and..."

At this point he had caught sight of the tears that jewelled his lover's tightly-clenched eyelids, and he tailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. It was too late - Duo was already as attached to the little dog as it was possible to get.

Life went on for the couple - not exactly as normal, but it went on. Duo and the little spaniel were inseparable and Fred became Duo's shadow. Heero drew the line at the bedroom though. Duo had initially moved Fred's basket into their bedroom 'so he won't feel lonely of a night-time'. Heero had grudgingly agreed to this, but the first time they had attempted to make love with this arrangement in place, Heero had found it difficult to 'perform', conscious as he was of the third presence in the room. His performance then became impossible when, clearly mistaking Duo's cries of ecstasy for some kind of distress call, Fred left his basket and approached the bed, where he began whining piteously. As Duo's cries increased in pitch and fervour, Fred began baying. Rearing up, he placed his forepaws upon the mattress beside Duo's head and nuzzled his face anxiously, whimpering miserably as he did so. This was the final straw for Heero. Just short of his climax, he pulled out of Duo and rolled off him, laying flat on his back on the mattress beside him, staring up at the ceiling.

"Get. Him. Out. Of. Here." Heero hissed through clenched teeth, punctuating every word. Duo straightened his splayed legs and turned to face Heero, propping himself up on one elbow.

"Heero, he didn't mean..."

"GET HIM OUT!" Heero bellowed. Duo started in alarm. Without another word he rose and, naked as he was, he scooped Fred up and carried him out of the room, pausing only to grab the basket.

He was gone for some time and fearing that he might have taken umbrage and decided to spend the night on the sofa, Heero rose and went to investigate. When he heard Duo's voice coming softly from the kitchen, he approached quietly, stood at the door and listened. Duo was seated cross-legged on the floor, his skin bare against the ice-cold flagstone tiles. On the floor before him was Fred's basket, back in its corner spot. Duo was stroking the dog and murmuring softly, and Heero had to strain his ears to hear his words.

"...a bit miserable at times, and a bit grumpy, but he's very busy at work and he's under a lot of pressure sometimes. He's got a real important job and they think very highly of him at his office." Even at such a low volume Heero could hear the pride in Duo's voice, and a bashful smile tugged at his lips. "His bark's worse than his bite really." Duo chuckled softly at the pun. "Anyway," He continued, "He wasn't trying to hurt me just now," He laughed again as he added, "Quite the opposite in fact. He was making me happy, and he only yelled at you because..., well, because you interrupted him and frankly," He said with mock severity, "I was kinda pissed with you about that too."

Heero was about to turn away and return to the bedroom, but something made him stay a moment longer. When he heard what Duo said next, he was glad he did.

"Okay," Duo was saying, "You know Heero right, he's the dark, handsome, exotic-looking one. You know hat he looks like and you know his scent. Well I love Heero, I love him very, very much, and you have to love him too, 'kay? Love him and take care of him – just like I do."

Heero did turn away at this point. He turned away and almost floated back to the bedroom Duo loved him? Duo loved him! He had never openly declared this to Heero, but Heero had often wondered. Heero himself loved Duo passionately but he had never declared himself, lest he discover that his feelings were unrequited. Now he knew. His satisfied grin stretched from ear to ear as he climbed back into bed and waited for Duo to return. He didn't have long to wait and he then proceeded to 'make Duo happy' all over again, and this time his performance was faultless.

In the dark of the chill kitchen, Solo sniffed at the sock ball beside his head. The nose of the body he had possessed was sensitive and the scent was strong. Heero. 'Take care of Heero' Duo had said. Take care of him and love him. He would do this. He would do it because Duo had asked it. He would take care of Heero and love him. Love him as much as he had always loved Duo. He cast his spirit mind back and saw himself as he lay dying. It always surprised him how he was able to view the scene as if he were an observer watching from some lofty vantage point, rather than the main subject of the tableau, lying in the medical unit of the childrens' home where Duo and he had first met and become friends, his body wasting and his life ebbing. He saw the tears streaming down Duo's face as be begged Solo not to leave him, straining against Sister Helen as she gently urged him away, out of the room. He recalled crying silently out to Duo as he was led away – 'I'll come back to you Duo. Somehow I'll find a way'.

And he had. His spirit, after years of roaming the universe in search of his friend, had finally found him as Duo, now a young man, trod the steps to the surface from the bowels of the subway station. Solo had found a receptive host in the dog, whose owner had just pulled over for a second to buy a newspaper from a street-corner vendor. He had quickly entered the body of the dog and scrambled out of the passenger window, which had been left open for ventilation much wider than had been strictly necessary, fortunately for Solo. He had then followed Duo home frolicking and gambolling ecstatically around him as he walked, so happy was he to have finally found his friend. With his dying breath he had promised Duo that he would return, and now, as a lively Cavalier King Charles spaniel, he would prove as faithful and loving a best friend to him as he had been when he was a human child.

15


End file.
